According to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, in his book, Flow:
The state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience itself is so enjoyable that people will do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.
Quotes from the book:
Deep depression causes a form of blindness.. blindness to your worth, how much you’re loved, and all the great possibilities yet to be explored.
Sometimes, fresh air, sunshine, and a phone call can go a long way.. how I wish you had called me, friend.
I picked up an old journal that I kept while studying + working abroad in London. Wow, looking back on a day for the first time in six years is such a treat. Here’s my journal entry from 4/7/09, which was exactly 6 years ago:
The birds have vanished into the sky,
And now the last cloud drains away.We sit together, the mountain and I,
Until only the mountain remains.-Li Po
Sophie, who was sitting next to me, initiated the booing, and I chimed in. Soon, more and more people started booing, and the singer had to leave the stage. The interesting thing is that she wasn’t at all bad. The problem was that she wasn’t impressive.
The things I need
The things I want
The things I have
The things I hoard
The things I forget
The things I cherish
The things I try
The things I achieve
The things I hide
The things I forgive
As I get drunk off of just the aroma of this red wine,
I indulge in the fantasy of having you in my arms.
I normally walk hurriedly as I’m being stalked by time,
But then comes a respite that comes with my daydreams.
Jennifer Prufer
Templo de debod at sunset
One cool autumn night in 2011, I stepped out of my apartment to get some air, and somehow ended up walking around the city for an hour. The pictures aren’t bad considering I didn´t have a tripod, and used a point and shoot camera. Hope you enjoy the night photography! Evening photographs to come soon.
My mind becomes stagnant if my body is stagnant. After traveling, you notice that everything around you are manifestations of systems and products and culture created by others, e.g., the width of sidewalks, number of standard meals a day and their portions, tipping and pricing, decency, courtesy, and beauty. The ability to recognize the status quo and the potential keeps me creative.
Within six months of living in Albacete, Spain, I began to speak Spanish fluently. I did not take Spanish classes during that period. The people I met right after my move to Spain were blown away by my level of Spanish after three months, during which I experienced a sort of language explosion (parents should be familiar with this phenomenon). I should admit, however, that I did not start exactly from zero.
“If the Earth were a single state, Istanbul would be its capital.”
– Napoleon Bonaparte
Istanbul is one of those places that will instantly wake up your five senses. Random strangers and invitations, strong Turkish coffee, colorful carpets, soft silk scarves, salted yogurt drinks (Ayran), pistachio-flavored Turkish delight, the voices of the muezzins that call the Muslims to prayer, and the sweet smell of Hookah from the outdoor bars are still vivid in my memory.
Some people and tourist guides refer the Aya Sofya (also spelled Ayasofya) as the Hagia Sofia, which is the Greek name. On a side note, many Greeks still call Istanbul Constantinople, just to piss the Turks off. Ok, some of the items on this list aren’t really secrets.
Do you see Jesus and Mary right between the Arabic calligraphy that says Allah and Mohammed? The Aya Sofya is the only building that served both Christianity and Islam. The building was constructed as a church under Emperor Justinian in year 537 (Astonished by the Aya Sofya’s beauty, Justinian claimed that he outdid Solomon upon seeing it for the first time). The Islams converted it into a mosque in year 1453 as soon as they conquered Istanbul. Ataturk finally converted it to a museum in 1924.
